Posts Tagged ‘waikiki’

365great Day 86: surfing

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 86: surfingEver since I moved to the greater Los Angeles area, I have been meaning to try surfing. Of course, this kept getting pushed off because I didn’t go to the beach that often and when I did, I didn’t want to spend money to learn. I just wanted to chill with my friends! Then last year, Panda and I went on a trip to Hawaii and I knew this was my chance. I tried to get him to learn with me, but hey you can’t always get what you want. At least I got to learn though! It was fun and definitely felt different from anything else I’ve experienced. I don’t know if my skateboarding helped with my balance, but I’d like to think so. This was shot on my first try, when I was still grasping what this strange feeling of being pushed by a wave is like. You can read more about my surfing experience and also watch some videos of my surfing lesson. Good times! I think everyone should give it a try; the feeling is just indescribable (and of course, GREAT!).

The Wanderlust Tag

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Some background (feel free to skip if you’re a busy busy person!)…

The other day, I got a text from a friend (Maven) who suggested I check out Wonderly. When I went, I found they were interviewing Miss Glamorazzi who is apparently something of a YouTube star. In her interview, she mentioned her favorite YouTuber is essiebutton… and that’s how I got to this point. You see, one of the videos that essiebutton posted was the Wanderlust Tag that’s going around YouTube. It was started by amandamuse and I’ve seen some videos popping up with that tag now. Personally, it was something I really liked thinking about and talking about, so I decided to take a risk and film myself in the video. So far all my YouTube videos have been unboxings where I show it from my perspective. I mean, do you really need to look at me as I show you products? I hope not cuz that’s my style. Howeverrr for the tag videos, it would be strange to not talk to the camera and to ease into it, I decided to do it at night when the lighting is more forgiving. My skin is in a horrible state right now and I feel no need to document that.

Ok now the real meat of it:

I liked making the video and discussing the answers with Panda so much that I’m gonna blog about it. After all, I’m a blogger at heart, merely testing the waters of vlogging for now. You can watch the video if you’d like; this time around I will discuss the answers in relation to Panda’s and how our answers may differ (or not!).

picture and shiny seal of visa to study in uk

Big smiles!

1. What’s your most treasured passport stamp?
My answer: It’s actually a visa sticker, which I got so I could go study abroad in the UK my third year of college. That was a wonderful experience and look at how happy I was in the photo!
His answer: Uhh, he doesn’t have one yet! So it will have to be the one he gets when we go to the UK later this year. 🙂 Hopefully we’ll rack up some more soon enough.

2. Can you recite your passport # from memory if asked?
My answer: The first three digits of my old one, but I just got a new one a few weeks ago so definitely no. At one point I could since I was filling it out a lot, but nowadays it’s a distant memory.
His answer: No (I mean, he hasn’t had to use it so…). But he’s probably the type to memorize it before going on a trip abroad, just in case. We shall see when he leaves the country for the first time later this year!

sitting in first class seat of plane with headphones on

If first class was cheaper I’d do it all the time.

3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains or automobiles?
My answer: Trains are a ton of fun! When I was kid, the ones in China gave out super fun little keychain toys – it was a 3D puzzle that formed a sphere. I loved that thing! And I enjoy being able to get up as I want and enjoy the landscape flying by. I certainly don’t mind planes as long as I get a window seat, but they’re not that exciting anymore.
His answer: Planes for the service (well he’s like a gold or platinum member so he gets spoiled and often gets upgraded to first class free – of course he’d like that!) or a car for the views. He’s never really experienced trains (only short-distance ones) so maybe he’d like that. We’ll see after he rides some more in the UK, but I’d really like to take him on an overnight ride sometime.

4. Top 3 travel items?
My answer: Camera (total photo addict – I’d love a DSLR soon), jacket or blanket (gotta stay warm! and we’re both sensitive to the cold), and toiletries (gotta stay clean right?). I’m totally cool with traveling light since I’m going places to see the places, not to bring all my stuff with me. However, I might need to bring a large suitcase to carry all the things I acquire while on the road…
His answer: Headphones (so he can be in his own little world), jacket (also to stay warm), and phone (to stay connected).

5. Hostel or hotel?
My answer: Hostel if I’m traveling alone, since it’s such a great way to meet people and share experiences with fellow travelers. Hotel if I’m with family or friends, since we’ll probably just stick to ourselves and we can split the cost.
His answer: Hotel! He’s like a gold member with a hotel chain so there are perks plus you earn points. Oh, and he’s never stayed at a hostel.

6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?
waikiki beach sand and palm treesMy answer: New places! I am all about new, new, new and trying to hit up as many places as possible while I can. Then when I’m older I know which places offer the experiences I’m looking for in my next vacation, whether it’s beautiful scenery or a lively atmosphere or tons of history.
His answer: Repeat visitor to Hawaii! Well, we haven’t yet returned since his first visit last summer, but it looks like we’ll be going there every other year (last year he got to choose our vacation destination and next year is his turn again). I’ll try to convince him to go to a different island/region each time so it’s not toooo repetitive for me.

7. Do you read up on your destination (culture,history,safety) or do you wing it?
My answer: A little bit, just so I know what attractions I might want to visit/explore, but otherwise I rely on my basic knowledge of the place.
His answer: He not only reads up on it, he actually contacts the local tourist office and requests more material! Lol, what a dork. 🙂

8. Favorite travel website?
My answer: Gogobot, because there are awesome people on it helping you plan your trips and give advice, plus there are reviews and guides and trip planning tools. I love the vibe on there and I actually get to meet local Gogoboters through events!
His answer: TripAdvisor (or TripAdvisory as he calls it, hehe). There is a lot of useful information that he likes to arm himself with ahead of time.

9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit?
thai temple in bangkokMy answer: Bangkok, Thailand. It’s a beautiful country and Bangkok is a city offering a ton to see and do. You can do a day trip out to the Tiger Temple and float on a river raft and ride an elephant and learn about historical battles or you can stay in the city and go shopping at Chatuchak Market and the Night Market and enjoy the best pad thai cooked outside and get pampered at spas.
His answer: Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. We went there last summer and he had so much fun he wants to keep going back, so naturally he’d recommend it to anyone! It’s a great tropical paradise where you can get away from your normal routine and feel like you’ve gone to another country, but not have to deal with currency exchanges and roaming charges and language barriers.

10. You’re leaving tomorrow, money is no object, where are you going?
My answer: EVERYWHERE! I’d pick up and start going to every single country and city I was ever interested in (bringing Panda with me, of course) and then I’d hop on a shuttle to go into orbit around the earth and enjoy weightlessness and spectacular views.
His answer: London, since we’re already planned for it and he has a good idea of what there is to see, where we can stay, and what we can do. In other words, much of the prep work is done so he doesn’t have to worry about cramming it all in in one night before leaving!

As you can see, we take very different approaches towards traveling. If Panda could have his way, he’d get tons of information from the tourist office and read up on it, we’d fly first class to our destination, get a nice rental car, stay at a classy hotel, check out a few places of interest, but mostly hang out and relax at the hotel enjoying free food at the executive lounge, relaxing and playing by/in the pool, and enjoying some delicious dinners at local restaurants. Meanwhile, I’d be the pack up and go randomly as opportunity strikes, fly economy, then take various forms of public transportation to a decently-located hostel or hotel (depending on the price/availability), spend all day out and about exploring the city and surrounds, grab whatever street food we can find, and jam pack as many experiences as possible. We’ve found a pretty happy medium where I get enough exploration and he gets enough relaxation, so I think our travel styles are actually pretty compatible.

Surfing Waikiki

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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When Panda and I vacationed in Hawaii this summer, I was determined to finally get around to surfing.  I found a great instructor via Yelp and lucked out with my timing by being able to join two sisters of similar physical abilities and experience, so our skill levels were basically the same.  That allowed us to progress at about the same pace, with nobody holding the others back.  Perfect!

dcx surf school instructor erik, photographer ray, and dog malu

Meet Erik the surf instructor with his dog Malu (who used to surf with him but is a bit old now) and Ray the photographer!

happily carrying surfboards to waikiki beach

The day started with an intro lesson at Erik’s surf shop, and then we were off, carrying our surfboards to the beach!

posing with jellyfish warning sign at waikiki beach

Apparently there had been jellyfish spotted earlier in the morning, so there was a warning sign up.

jellyfish caught from waikiki beach

Erik showed us the jellyfish that had been caught and was being kept in a cup at the lifeguard station until it could be released back to the ocean.

laying on surfboard paddling out into ocean

We then got into the water and started to paddle out towards the waves.

surfing small wave at waikiki beach

Before I knew it, I was catching my first wave! I lost my balance pretty early on but got much better after a few tries.

catching wave with arms by side for balance

Out in the water, Ray accompanied us so we could get some awesome close-up shots on his pro camera. As you can see my first try was just me trying not to fall off.

surfing with knees bent for better control

By the second or third wave, I had figured out how to squat a bit for better control.

chillin' on surfboard getting pictures taken

After catching a few waves, Ray had us pause for some pics on the water. That’s him on the left with the camera, one of the girls in the lesson getting her pics taken, and me sitting around waiting my turn.

laying on surfboard in ocean enjoying sun and water

Then it was time for me to get a posed shot on the surfboard out in the gorgeous ocean waters.

laying on surfboard in ocean giving hang loose hand sign

Feeling in the surfer spirit, I threw up a “hang loose” sign for Ray.

surfing waikiki confidently

By the end of the lesson, I was pretty confident on the kind Waikiki waves and even had people watching me! The wave looks bigger than it felt.

Next time I’ve got to convince Panda to join me in a lesson too.

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